“It is an un-Islamic and condemnable act to declare any Muslim sect a disbeliever and deserving of death.”

There is no question that sectarianism and hate speech are diseases that are crippling this country, but why does the answer to everything have to be to kill someone? Life is already too cheap. Yes, we need to discourage sectarianism and hate speech. We need to discourage violence. And, yes, there are certain crimes for which death is a fitting punishment. But we need to think of a better way of discouraging people from declaring someone as kafir and condemning them to death than declaring them as kafir and condemning them to death.

The outrage over news that a British fashion designer is selling a £300 (Rs50,000) peshawari chappal has raised the national blood pressure to dangerous heights. Not due to fears of inflation in the shoe sector, but because the British designer is selling the shoe under the name…’Robert’. Pakistan, the birthplace and spiritual home of the design is swept under the rug and ignored, as if it were something to be ashamed of. While the outrage over this very real slight is understandable, we should also be taking the moment to reflect on why Pakistan was not highlighted as part of the designer’s marketing campaign. To find the answer, we must start by thinking about not what Pakistan is, but how we are perceived by the rest of the world.